this morning, breaking news out of syria. >> the nearly two-year civil war entering a stage that could require u.s. intervention. is the regime about to use nerve gas on its own people? we have team coverage from the region and washington. also breaking overnight, arrested. the american software guru on the run for weeks after his neighbor was killed. now, in the hands of authorities. an alert for parents. the government issuing a warning about a popular product, after the deaths of five newborns. and rover behind the wheel? yep. teaching dogs to drive.

and good morning, everyone. we begin with that developing story from syria's civil war. credible, new concerns about the use of chemical weapons by syrian forces. >> syria's chemical weapons stockpile is believed to be one of the largest in the world. and there's word that regime forces might be ready to use it. we spoke with alex marquardt a short time ago, from the turkey/syria border. >> reporter: it seems that syria went through the preparation phase, loading components of the highly-toxic sarin gas. syria doesn't even acknowledge that it has chemical weapons. they've said that they would never use them against their own people. but one top official warned this summer that they would only be used against what he called external aggression. >> and that sarin gas that alex

just mentioned, it is extremely toxic. a single drop can kill a person in a matter of moments. >> of course, the u.s. has been worried about syria using chemical weapons for quite some time, now. abc's tahman bradley has that part of the story. >> reporter: a senior official tells abc news, the use of chemical weapons could trigger retaliatory action from the united states. monday, president obama warned the syrian regime. >> i want to make it clear to assad and those under his command, the world is watching. the use of chemical weapons is and would be totally unacceptable. >> reporter: obama administration and military officials say they believe president assad has gotten the message. >> we have sent an unmistakable message that this would cross a red line. and those responsible would be held to account. >> reporter: the syrian regime, which has been massacring citizens for nearly two-straight years, has been careful not to confirm it has the weapons.

>> even if we have them, we shall not use them against our people. >> reporter: but president assad's father used chemical weapons. and officials believe pressure on the current government is mounting. opposition is making tactical gains that could trigger a shift in the conflict. the state department believes the conflict is growing closer to assad and is looking into reports that assad's men are looking for a place to go into exile. >> tahman bradley, live in washington. thanks, tahman. we also have breaking news this morning from egypt. deadly clashes between opponents and supporters of egypt's new president. at least five people were killed. almost 500 injured overnight in violence that raged around the egyptian presidential palace. opponents of president mohammed morsi are angry over his power grab last month. and a new constitution that was drafted by morsi's allies. we turn to the latest on software mogul john mcafee. he was arrested last night in

guatemala for entering the country illegally. now, officials there might send him back to belize, the place he was running from. mcafee vanished in belize after his neighbor was found dead. in an exclusive interview, he denied any involvement in that murder. and he told abc's matt gutman how he disguised himself on the run. >> i had a cane. i was walking like this. and i had my jaws stuffed with toilet paper. >> mcafee said he was requesting asylum in guatemala because he fears he will be killed if he goes back to belize. so far, police in belize are not calling him a suspect just yet. now, the fiscal standoff in walk and what could be considered the slightest sign of progress. president obama and house speaker john boehner spoke on the phone about the situation yesterday. among the major sticking points is republican support for continuing tax cuts for the wealthiest americans, something mr. obama disagrees with.

>> we could probably solve this in about a week. it's not that tough. but we need that conceptual breakthrough that says we need a balanced plan. that's what's best for the economy. that's what the american people voted for. that's how we're going to get it done. >> mr. obama's treasury secretary, tim geithner, went a step further, saying that the president would allow the nation to go over the fiscal cliff at the end of the year, if republicans don't agree to raise taxes on the wealthy. and maybe abraham lincoln can help the fiscal cliff negotiations. harry reid believes so. the senate will get inspiration when reid hosts a clescreening the spielberg movie. >> whatever helps to get things moving, right? hundreds of same-sex couples in washington state lined up overnight to get a marriage license now that they can legally wed. the county clerk's office in

seattle opened at midnight to accommodate couples eager to make history. there's another historic first in washington overnight. it is now legal to buy and possess pot. the law, though, bans public use of marijuana, like drinking in public. and it's against the wall to sell pot. the state is trying to work out a system to license growers. and with that, we'll take a look -- >> you can't buy it or sell it. >> time, now, for the weather across the country. showers from portland to seattle. up to eight inches of snow in the northern cascades and rockies. mild in the nation's midsection. pop-up showers in omaha, cincinnati and louisville. and scattered showers from the carolina coast through florida. >> 70s from dallas to miami. mostly 40s in the northeast and midwest. 37 in billings. up next, a megabank braces

for a major hit. layoffs for thousands of workers. but things are looking up, though, for starbucks, which announces major expansion plans. ready to open two stores every day. and later in "the pulse," a special view of the planet we call home sweet home.

welcome back, everyone. citigroup has announced plans to slash 11,000 jobs. it's part of its cost-cutting plan aimed at shrinking the company down to a more manageable and profitable size. more than half the cuts will come from consumer banking.

and they are expected to save $900 billion over the the next year. investors seem impressed because citi stocks rose more than 6%. wall street had a pretty good day overall, with stocks surging for the first time this week. the dow rose 82 points yesterday, to close above 13,000. investors appeared optimistic about avoiding the fiscal cliff after president obama suggested that a deal could be reached in about a week. the government issues a new warning about reverse mortgages. those are mortgages that give senior citizen homeowners an immediate cash payment in exchange for future equity. today, the obama administration will recommend congress prohibit large lump sum payments for reverse mortgages. and it will recommend that seniors be very careful before signing one. a new starbucks store is likely coming soon to a neighborhood near you. the coffee giant plans to over

1,500 more cafes over the next 5 years. another 1,500 stores are planned for canada and latin america. starbucks has expansion plans in china and for its product line sold in grocery stores and other vendors. your smartphone will soon be able to send how your feeling and respond proeply. it uses voice features. it was successful about 80% of the time in correctly identifying the emotion. rob, can you tell my emotion right now? >> you sound happy and wide-awake. >> i'm very happy. >> i'm sure that's not the caffeine talking. next, on alert. a popular baby recliner. the focus of a new government warning after the deaths of several kids. and a mystery in arizona. a college student missing. was he a victim of fraternity hazing? plus, what a night for kobe bryant. the incredible feat only four other people have ever done.

"this is george. he is a good little monkey and always very curious. one day george got an important letter. he's built a rocket ship to travel into space." google, how far is earth to the moon? the moon is 238,900 miles... "the great moment had come." 3, 2, 1... [ giggling ] a delicious new way to get essential vitamins you need. just bite into the tasty shell... to a chewy vitamin core for a unique multivitamin sensation! new centrum flavor burst.

a very warm start to december means bare slopes at many ski resorts across the country, like here in central virginia. resorts that hoped to open this weekend are delaying those plans. winter will come eventually. so, here's a warning from sweden. one very unlucky driver leaving the car window open during a storm. filling his ride, yeah, with lots of snow. good luck digging out of that one. never seen that before. look at that. >> that's unfortunate. i'm not going to be able to make it to work today. >> try the defroster, dude. now, for a look at road conditions. highways can be wet from charleston, south carolina, to savannah. and showers will dampen roads around louisville, omaha and des moines. a slick ride from seattle to portland. >> and a great day for those of

you flying. there are no expected weather-related airport delays. we rarely have that. a blank slate today. good. here in new york, a suspect has now been charged with murder for shoving a man to his death on the subway tracks. >> police say 30-year-old naeem davis admitted to pushing the victim after the two argued on the platform, as you see from that tape. the train is not believed to be anywhere near the station at the time. davis admitted he stayed on the platform and saw that man get struck by the train. crews searching for a missing arizona state university student have found what may be an important clue. the victim's shoe. jack cluely was last seen friday at a tempe restaurant, attending a fraternity frungs. witnesses say the drunk freshman was asked to leave by a bouncer. his parents fear their son may have been the victim of hazing. and the latest twist in the story of a little girl last seen

leaving a phoenix hospital with her mother. the child's father says his daughter is being treated in mexico. doctors and police believe emily's parents put the 11-year-old leukemia's life in danger because she had a catheter in her heart, which they say could have led to a deadly infection. in kansas city, financial arrangements are set for the daughter of former chiefs linebacker javon belcher. she is eligible to receive payments up to age 23, if she attends college. meanwhile, several chiefs players attended a memorial service for belcher yesterday. he of course, killed his girlfriend, the child's mother, on saturday, before then taking his own life. and a warning, now, for parents of small children. the government says five deaths are linked to portable baby recliners sold as the nap nanny or the chill. babies have fallen out or got caught in the safety harness.

the makers of nap nanny have refused to pull the products. so, the government is taking the rare step of asking a judge to force it off the shelves. also, there's a possible breakthrough in the treatment for alzheimer's disease. john's happen kin researchers call it a pacemaker for the brain. it's being tested on people with early-stage alzheimer's to see if low volt electricity can boost memory. surgeons implanted the first device into an alzheimer patient last month. the grammy nominations were annoyanced overnight before the big show in february. and six artists are tied for the most nominations. kanye west, jay-z, frank ocean, dan auerbach, mumford & sons and fun. you can see the categories on our website, abcnews.com. now, sports news.

in eight letters, k-o-b-e. >> eight letters? >> highlights now -- i'm not a math major. highlights, now, from espn. it was eight. >> randy scott, here, with your "sportscenter" update. and we start with history in the nba yesterday. kobe bryant came into last night's game against the hornets just 13 points away from 30,000 for his career. so, we take you back to where it all began. drafted by the hornets in 1996. eventually traded to the lakers for vlade divac. trying to become the fifth member of that 30,000-point club, kareem abdul jabbar, karl malone, michael jordan and wilt chamberlain. under 20 seconds left in the first. got a steal and a dunk at the other end. kobe, eight points in the first frame. only 5 away from 30,000. get right to work.

he will play above the rim at his advanced age. he's one away. and kobe, here it comes. here's history. popping. and so is the floater over robin lopez. point number 30,000 and 30,001 for his career. and he continued to work in the second half. later, mike d'antoni said i want to see him get started on the next 30,000. here in the third quarter, throwing down. kobe, with 29, as the lakers win, 103-87 is your final. michael jordan, the only other member of the 30,000 point club to hit the mark against the team that drafted him. >> eight letters. k-o-b-e, e-s-p-n. >> if you have to explain it. you heard him mention bryant's advanced age. he's 34 years old. >> remember that bryant started in the league at age 18.

this is his 17th season. >> unbelievable. >> he is the slowest of the five, in terms of games played. bryant needed 11,079 games to eclipse 30,000. an impressive accomplishment, no matter what. up in enext, "the pulse." videos you'll be wasting time with today. including a brand-new view of earth. and did you ever think you'd earth. and did you ever think you'd see that? on all purack plus a 50% annual bonus. and everyone...but her likes 50% more cash. but i'm upping my game. do you want a candy cane? yes! do you want the puppy? yes! do you want a tricycle? yes! do you want 50 percent more cash? no! ♪ festive. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card gives you 1% cash back on every purchase plus a 50% annual bonus on the cash you earn. it's the card for people who like more cash. what's in your wallet? flavor boost, meet beef. it's swanson flavor boost.

concentrated broth to add delicious flavor to your skillet dish in just one stir. mmm! [ female announcer ] cook, meet compliments. get recipes at flavorboost.com. [ female announcer ] cook, meet compliments. get to sears one day sale this saturday, with friday preview. get jeans for the mily for $14.99. and save up to 50% off all mechanics tool sets. plus, members can get an extra $10 in points. this is how to gift. this is sears. i had[ designer ]eeling enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months, and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel®, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers,

and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. it's time to check "the pulse," this morning, some videos you're going to want to check out for sure today. beginning with this electrifying night life, really spectacular views, of planet earth after dark. >> nasa just released these stunning images of earth at

night, taking from a new satellite. you see dense clusters coming alive. and boats popping up along the nile river. >> there's big cities. light from middle east oil exploration. even wildfires in australia. pretty cool. well, a new campaign that's meant to raise awareness about the deficit crisis, is getting lots of buzz. >> it calls on young folks to get serious about the deficit, and it stars former senator, alan simpson. >> stop instagraming your breakfast and tweeting your problems. and getting on youtube so you can see "gangnam style." >> he's got the moves. >> you go ahead, boy. >> 81-year-old alan simpson, right there, kicking it gangnam style. the can kicks back, a play on

kicking the can down the road. that's simpson of simpson-bowles. >> that was the commission working to reduce the deficit. there's your commission chairman. whatever gets folks' attention, right? the work not in vain. there's your chairman. looking good, allen. break it down. looks good in everything. you know those dog owners who swear that fido really genuinely is pretty smart. >> let's not offend all of the dog owners. they are smart. >> look at this. some proof here. experts are teaching dogs how to drive. they say it took only eight weeks for the canines to master the basics. >> it's part of an animal welfare campaign in new zealand to show you intelligent dogs are. the drivers are all rescue dogs that may have been doomed otherwise. and i think they might be doomed behind the wheel of a car. >> you want to put your life in fido's hands, you go right

ahead, folks. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. don't go far. i want answers! ♪ oh. right. kay. [ female announcer ] it's true, every kiss does begin with kay. introducing shades of wonder, featuring rare, natural color diamonds from australia. at kay, the number-one jewelry store in america. ohhhh. right. ♪ every kiss begins with kay up high! ok. don't you have any usefull apps on that thing? who do you think i am, quicken loans? ♪ at quicken loans, our amazingly useful mortgage calculator app allows you to quickly calculate your mortgage payment based on today's incredibly low interest rates... right from your iphone or android smartphone. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze.

♪ five days later, i had a massive heart attack. bayer aspirin was the first thing the emts gave me. now, i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ woman ] learn from my story. ♪ i woke up to a feeling ♪ every little thing has meaning ♪ ♪ i woke up to a light bulb on ♪ every little thing is possible now ♪ [ female announcer ] we've added a touch of philadelphia cream cheese to our kraft natural cheese to make it creamier so whatever you make isn't just good, it's amazing. ♪ ...is amazing with the love that i found ♪ ♪

and updating the top stories. u.n. officials believe syrian forces acting at or near airfields in syria have loaded deadly sarin gas into bombs. the u.s. has warned syria about using chemical weapons against rebels. john mcafee has been arrested in guatemala, accused of entering the country illegally. guatemalan officials are considering sending him back to belize, where police want to question him about the murder of his american neighbor. history was made overnight in washington state. same-sex marriage now legal. couples lining up to be the first to get licenses. and buying small amounts of pot is no longer against the law. showers from portland to seattle. and finally, from us, a major coup for some radio deejays, pretending to be the

queen. they managed, somehow, to get a call through to kate middleton's nurse at the hospital where she is staying. >> this is crazy. so, where does this rank in terms of recent celebrity pranks? abc's david wright takes a look. >> hello? good morning, king edward vii hospital. >> hello there. can i speak to kate, please? >> reporter: a royal crank call to the bedside of a princess. >> kate, my darling, are you there? >> good morning, ma'am, this is the nurse speaking. how may i help you? >> hello, i'm just after my granddaughter, kate. i want to see how her little tummy bug is going. >> reporter: an australian deejay impersonating her royal highness. >> when is a good time to come visit her? cause i'm the queen, so i need a lift down there. >> i would suggest any time after 9:00 would be suitable. >> reporter: that well-intentioned nurse is in good company. in the past, other deejays have managed to prank call the queen

herself, and even pope john paul. a miami dj once got through trophy dell castro. >> fidel? >> si. >> reporter: during the 2008 campaign, sarah palin got caught out by a canadian prankster impersonating the french president. >> one of my favorite activities is to hunt, too. >> oh, very good. we should go hunting together. >> reporter: in that case, as in this one, it begs the question -- was she just being polite? or was the caller convincing? could you tell the difference? >> my dear, thank you so much. >> thank you for inviting me. >> reporter: the queen rarely uses the first person singular. one tends not to, does one not? >> i think it's difficult sleeping in a strange bed, as well. >> yes, of course. it's hardly the palace, is it? >> oh, nothing like the palace is it, charles. >> reporter: nope. nothing like the palace at all. david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> and we want to say, that's what's making news in america this morning. cheerie-o, everyone. stay with us for "good morning america." have a great thursday.